Laser Doppler flowmetry: basic principle,
current clinical and research applications
in dentistry 
- Chalida Limjeerajarus D.D.S., Ph.D.
Abstract :
Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) is an accurate and reliable method for assessing
microcirculatory function. Several studies have shown that, in comparison with other methods, the
measurement of blood flow, especially of blood flow in bones, teeth and surrounding tissues, is
reproducible and correlates with clinical features. LDF is typically used in dentistry to evaluate the
vitality of a tooth after receiving an injury, such as luxation or avulsion, or the pathological condition
of the dental pulp. LDF can be applied to monitor tooth vitality during orthodontic treatment, following
maxillofacial surgery that might have possibly damaged the tooth, or in teeth with immature root
formation or an open apex in pediatric dentistry patients. In addition, LDF can be used to evaluate
osteonecrosis, osteomyelitis, and wound healing or evaluating the stability of dental implants.
This review aims to collect the knowledge and advantages of LDF in clinical and research situations.
While the implementation of LDF is currently low and confined to academic dental institutions.
LDF could become an additional technique for clinical use in dentistry.
(CU Dent J. 2014;37:123-36)
Keywords :
laser Doppler flowmeter; oral; tooth vitality